Genesis 37:3 "Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours."

Jacob gave Joseph a coat. Not just any coat, a coat of many colors. It was expensive. It was beautiful. It was visible. And it said one thing loud and clear: "I see you. I believe in you. I'm not ashamed of what God put in you."

That coat became the symbol of favor. It also became the thing his brothers hated most.

Your child's God-sized dream might look like that coat. It might be beautiful. It might be expensive in terms of time, energy, and risk. And it might make other people uncomfortable.

But here's the question every parent has to answer: Will you be the one who gives the coat, or the one who rips it off?

The Gift of Recognition: Seeing What God Sees

Jacob saw something in Joseph that the others didn't see. Or maybe they saw it and resented it. Either way, Jacob wasn't embarrassed by Joseph's uniqueness. He celebrated it.

That's your first job as a parent: See what God sees.

Your kid might have a "weird" calling. They might want to become missionaries when everyone else is chasing money. They might want to plant a church when everyone else wants safety. They might want to homeschool when the world says you're crazy. They might want to adopt when people say you already have enough kids.

Don't dismiss it just because it doesn't fit the mold.

Joseph's dreams were about leadership, about influence, about a future that didn't yet make sense. His brothers heard those dreams and got angry. But Jacob? Jacob "observed the saying" (Genesis 37:11). He paid attention. He didn't mock. He didn't shut it down.

He gave the coat.

Don't Dismiss the "Weird" Dreams

Genesis 37:9 "And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the stars made obeisance to me."

The sun, moon, and stars bowing down? That's not normal dinner conversation. That's not a "safe" dream. That's the kind of dream that makes people roll their eyes and say, "Who does this kid think he is?"

But those dreams were from God.

Your child's dream might sound big. It might sound unrealistic. It might sound like pride. But don't confuse a God-given vision with arrogance. There's a difference between a teenager who thinks they're better than everyone and a young person who's captured by something bigger than themselves.

Here's how you tell the difference: A God-sized dream always leads to service, not just status.

Joseph's dreams weren't about being famous. They were about being used. God had a plan to save a nation through him. But at seventeen, Joseph didn't know that yet. He just knew God had shown him something.

Your job as a parent is not to squash the dream. Your job is to help them steward it well.

Be the Safe Harbor When the World Mocks

Genesis 37:4 "And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him."

Joseph's brothers hated him. They mocked him. They threw him in a pit. They sold him into slavery. And it all started because he had a dream, and someone believed in him.

If your child dreams big for God, expect pushback. Expect mockery. Expect people, even family, to misunderstand.

But your home should be the one place they don't have to defend their calling.

You don't have to agree with every detail. You don't have to understand the full plan. But you do have to create a space where they can talk about what God is stirring in them without feeling stupid.

I've seen too many young people abandon God-sized dreams because the people who should have encouraged them shut them down. Parents said, "Be realistic." Pastors said, "You're too young." Friends said, "You're crazy."

And the dream died.

Don't let that happen in your house. Be the one who says, "Tell me more. What do you think God is saying? How can I help you take the next step?"

Your encouragement might be the only thing standing between your child's calling and their quitting.

Help Them Align Dreams With Scripture

Here's the balance: Not every dream is from God.

Joseph's dreams aligned with God's character and God's plan. They weren't selfish. They weren't destructive. They were about God using him to save lives.

So teach your kids to test their dreams against Scripture.

Ask questions like:

• Does this dream honor God?
• Does it serve others or just serve you?
• Are you willing to let God shape the timeline and the method?
• Can you handle it if the path looks nothing like you expected?

Joseph thought his dream meant his family would bow down to him right away. Instead, he spent years in slavery and prison. The dream was real. The path was hard. God was faithful.

Teach your kids that a God-sized dream often comes with a God-sized test.

Help them build perseverance. Teach them that dreams don't come true overnight. They come true through daily faithfulness, hard work, and staying close to Jesus even when nothing makes sense.

Help them develop responsibility. If they want to lead, they need to learn to serve. If they want influence, they need to learn integrity. Start small. Give them real work. Let them fail and recover. That's how character is built.

Nurture Vision Without Letting Pride Take Over

Jacob loved Joseph. But Jacob also made a mistake. He showed favoritism so openly that it caused division.

Joseph had a vision. But Joseph also had some growing up to do. Telling your brothers repeatedly that they're going to bow down to you? That's not wisdom. That's immaturity.

So here's the tension: You want to encourage the dream, but you also want to guard against pride.

Teach your child that a calling is not a crown. God gives vision to people He plans to use, not people who already have it all figured out. The vision is a gift. It's also a responsibility.

Help them develop self-awareness. Let them know their strengths and their weaknesses. Celebrate what God has put in them. But also teach them humility, dependence on God, and the value of walking with wise people.

Surround them with dream champions: not just people who hype them up, but people who will speak truth, pray with them, and hold them accountable.

And remind them: The dream is not about them. It's about God and what He wants to do through them.

The Coat and the Calling

Joseph's coat didn't protect him from hardship. It actually made him a target. But it was a symbol that mattered. It reminded him, and everyone else, that his father believed in him.

Your encouragement works the same way. It won't remove every obstacle. It won't guarantee an easy road. But it will remind your child that they're not alone. That someone sees them. That someone believes God has a plan for their life.

So give the coat. Celebrate the calling. Nurture the dream. And trust that the same God who gave Joseph a vision will be faithful to complete it.

As I've walked through 50+ years of ministry and 20 years as a missionary in Peru, I've watched God take broken people, impossible situations, and "unrealistic" dreams, and do something beautiful. He's still doing it today.

And if you want to dive deeper into what it looks like to trust God's love and calling, even when the path doesn't make sense, check out this article: The Big Leap of Faith: Believing God Loves You Exactly As You Are.

FAQ

What if my child's dream seems unrealistic?

Don't confuse "unrealistic" with "God-sized." Joseph's dream looked impossible: until God made it happen. Your job is not to predict outcomes. Your job is to help them walk faithfully and trust God with the results.

How do I encourage my child without fostering pride?

Celebrate the calling, not the child's superiority. Teach them that a God-given dream is about service, not status. Keep pointing them to Jesus and away from self-promotion.

What if my child gets discouraged when people mock their dreams?

Remind them of Joseph. He was hated, thrown in a pit, sold as a slave, falsely accused, and imprisoned, and God still fulfilled the dream. Hardship doesn't mean the dream is dead. It often means the dream is being refined.

Want more encouragement? Listen to the Followed by Mercy podcast at followedbymercy.buzzsprout.com or check out more articles at waustingardner.com/blog.